CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's tennis team will open the month of March on the road this weekend, traveling to Bowling Green on Friday, March 5.
MATCH #6
Cleveland State at Bowling Green | Friday, March 6 | 12:30 p.m.
Perrysburg Tennis Center | Perrysburg, Ohio
Last Time Out…
The Vikings picked up their first win of the 2021 campaign, earning a 6-1 victory at Slippery Rock. Last Saturday's matchup marked the first meeting between the two teams. In addition to the doubles point, the Vikings got singles wins from Miruna Vasilescu, Blanche Lenoan, Selma Tounsi, Siân Payne, and Kateryna Avram.
Cleveland State Sweeps Doubles Matches Against Slippery Rock
Last time out, the Vikings picked up wins at all three doubles spots against Slippery Rock, marking just the second time this season that CSU has earned the early 1-0 advantage after doubles play. Kateryna Avram and Blanche Lenoan earned a 7-5 win at the No. 2 spot for their team-leading third win of the season, while Klara Mrcela and Miruna Vasilescu cruised to a 6-0 victory to remain perfect on the year (2-0).
Tounsi Picks Up First Collegiate Win
Freshman Selma Tounsi picked up her first singles win in a Cleveland State Uniform last time out, notching a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 4 singles against Slippery Rock. Tounsi has appeared in the singles lineup for four of Cleveland State's five matches this season, playing at the No. 4 and No. 6 spots.
Lenoan One Win Shy Of 50-Win Plateau
After picking up a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles against Slippery Rock last time out, senior Blanche Lenoan improved to a team-best 4-1 this season, while she is also now just one win shy of reaching the 50-win mark for her career. Lenoan would become the 16th Viking all-time with 50+ career singles wins.
…Schoenberg Also Closing In On 50 Career Wins
Gaby Schoenberg is also closing in on 50 career singles wins, as she entered the 2021 campaign with 46 victories. During last year's shortened campaign, Schoenberg picked up 11 singles wins, and needs just four more wins to reach the 50-win plateau.
2021 #HLWTEN Weekly Honors
So far this season, the Vikings have picked up one Horizon League Weekly accolade, as Klara Mrcela and Miruna Vasilescu were named the Doubles Team of the Week back on February 10. Mrcela and Vasilescu earned the honor after picking up a 6-3 victory at the top of the doubles lineup against Miami (OH).
Trio Returns For Super-Senior Season
After being granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA after having the 2019-20 season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the senior trio of Kateryna Avram, Blanche Lenoan and Siân Payne have decided to return for a 'super-senior' season. During the 2019 campaign this trio led the Vikings to a share of the Horizon League Regular Season title and an appearance in the #HLWTEN Championship Match, while they helped the Vikings post an 8-5 record last year.
Vikings Post Strong Semester In The Classroom
With the 2020 Fall Semester in the books, the Vikings posted one of their best semesters in program history, finishing with a 3.848 Team GPA for the term. In addition, five Vikings earned a spot on the Cleveland State University Dean's List (Kateryna Avram, Klara Mrcela, Siân Payne, Gaby Schoenberg, and Selma Tounsi) after recording a 3.25+ GPA on 12 graded credit hours.
Head Coach Frank Polito
Frank Polito is in his third year at the helm of the Vikings, and his ninth year overall at Cleveland State, owning a 25-18 dual match record as head coach. During the 2019 campaign, Polito led the Vikings to a share of the Horizon League Regular Season Championship, and then helped Cleveland State make an appearance in the #HLWTEN Championship Match for the first time since 2014.
Scouting The Matchup
Bowling Green
2021 Record: 3-2
All-Time Record Against CSU: 9-3
Last Meeting: Bowling Green 6, Cleveland State 1 (2/9/20)
